Shipping container



Nov. 3, 1931. H, B, WALTER 1,830,495

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 21. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 fraz/67H27 @Hija/z5 Walk/1 Nov. 3, 1931. H, B, WALTER 1,830,495

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed OCL. 21. 1929 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 3, 1931. H. B, WALTER 1,830,495

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 21. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f y J7 J6 37 j 1 j 7 /Jf J7 a6 f7 .g5 37' 37,

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Patented Nov. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRISON B. WALTER, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 CONTAINER CORPORA- TION OF AMERICA, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE SHIPPING CONTAINER l Application filed October 21, 1929. Serial No. 401,068.

The present invention relates to shipping containers and more particularly to the type of shipping container which, after being received by the retailer', may be readily adapted for display and dispensing purposes, one object of the invention being to provide a relatively strong, sturdy and inexpensive container of this type which is simple in construction and capable of being readily assembled, packed and sealed by the'packer and at the same time permitting it to be easily opened and arranged for display and dispensing purposes. A further object is to provide a container which when opened for unpacking will be particularly adapted for ready and effective assembly with dispensing and display covers of more or less usual form.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combina! tions .of parts, all as will be hereinafter more full described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred form of container capable of use for the purposes described;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and illustrating a preferred manner of securing a cover upon the container;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l illustrating the container with a display and disI pensing cover of more or less conventional form arranged thereon;

Fig. 4 1s a fragmentary cross sectional view j taken along line 4 4 of Fig. 3 but on a larger scale; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view similar to Fig. 4 and taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, but with the sealing tape omitted;

Fig. 6 .is a plan view of the blank of a modiiied form of container;

Fig. 7 is a view of the blank forming a form of container; and l Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the set-up container with the closure assembled thereon.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present embodiment of the invention provides a container of the class described which is particularly advantageous for use W'th small cakes or wafers where it is desirable to open the container in the retail store and replace the cover or closure member with a dis lensing and display cover such requently employed in retail groceries.Y The invention also provides a strong and economical shipping container which readily adapts itself to shipping conditons and at the same time provides a container which can be readily unpacked without in any way affecting its usefulness.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown at 5 a form of container in connection with which the present invention has been applied and incorporated. The container 5 may be formed in various ways but, in the present instance, it is formed from a body blank which comprises a bottom Wall 7, two side walls 8, 8 and a llap extension 9 on each side wall (see Fig. 1).

The ends of the container are closed by end walls 10, 10 which are preferably in the form of recessed heads having laterally disposed flanges l1, 11 at the sides thereof extending outwardly of the container and secured as by means of staples to the body blank 8 adjacent its outer ends. lar to flaps 11, 11, is disposed adjacent the top of the container and serves as a means for securing the closure of the container.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the flaps 9, 9 are each separated from its attached side wall 8 by means of a score line or crease 13. This score line 13 -is impressed so as to form a groove 14 in the inner surface of the blank and a raised portion on the outer surface of the blank. When the flap` 9 is bent over at substantially right angles to the side wall r8 it will `be seen, from Figs. 4 and 5, that there is provided a rib portion 15 on the flap 9 and a rib portion 16 on the side wall 8. rThese rib portions 15 and 16 are disposed on opposite sides of the line along which the planes of the Hap and the side wall intersect. It will be further noted that between ribs 15 and 16 there is a substantially flat surface 17 the func'ion of which will be hereinafter described. v

A fourth flap 12 simi- In order to seal the container for shipment there is preferably provided a ilat rectangular blank 18 which cooperates with the flaps 9, 9, to completely close the top of the container. The closure 18 is of a length substantially equal to the distance between the outer free edges of the flaps 12, 12 and is of a width substantially equal tween the adjacent lower edges of the ribs 15, 15. This relation of the parts is very desirable in applying the closure 18 to the container for the reason that the ribs 15 at each side of the container serve as guiding abutments for the edges of the closure 18 and insure against the likelihood of the closure slipping during the process of securing it on the container. It will be further noted, by reference to Figs. 2 and 5, that the rib 15 extends above the plane of the flap 9 a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material from which the container is made up. Therefore when the closure 18 is applied to the container the apex of rib 15 will lie substantially in the same plane as the outer surface of the closure.

The closure 18 may be secured in various ways to the container but, in the present instance, it is deemed preferable to have the closure secured along the ends by means of staples 19 or other metal fasteners passing through the edge portions of the closure and through the adjacent flap 12, 12 on the end blanks 10, 10. The closure is preferably secured alon its longer sides by means of strips of gumme tape 20, see Fig. 2. It will be seen that, after the strips of tape 20 have been applied as indicated in Fig. 2, the top of the container will be substantially flat by reason of the fact that the rib portions 15 lie in substantlally the same plane as the outer surface of the closure 18.

The operation of opening the container, sealed as in Fig. 2, is simple and involves no likelihood of injuring the container -to prevent its reuse if desired. The container can be opened by merely slitting the (gummed tape along the small groove, indicate at 21, which is formed between the edges of the closure 18 and the ribs 15. The staples or stitches 19 can then be removed from the ends of the container by means of a screw driver or similar tool after which the closure 18 may 'be lifted ofi' to permit access to the contents of the container.

`It w1ll appear thus far from the foregoing descrlptxon that the present invention provides an eiiicient and economical shipping container which may be quickly and securely sealed in such a manner as toprevent the accessof dust and dirt to the contents of the container and which, at the same time, ma be quickly and easily unpacked.

fter opening the container, as above described, to render its contents accessible it is very desirable, where retail trade is conto the distance becerned, to keep'the container closed from dust and insects but at the same time have the contents on display to prospective purchasers. For this purpose the container of the present invention is particularly adapted, after being opened up, to have applied thereto a display and dispensing cover or more or less usual form. In the present instance this dispensing andl display cover is illustrated as comprising a frame 22 (see Figs. 3 and 4). This frame is preferably of sheet metal and has a skirt portion 23 adapted to extend around all four sides of the container and down its sides for a short distance. The frame 22 is also formed to provide a horizontal portion 24 adapted to contact against the top edges of the container -pane of glass 29.

The distance between the skirt portions 23 at each side of the frame 22 is substantially equal to the distance between the apexes of the ribs 16 at each side of the container whereby a snug iit between the cover and the container is insured. The extreme lower edge of the skirt portion is preferably rolled or beaded as indicated at 30, see Fig. 4. This rolled or beaded portion 30 extends inwardly of the skirt 23 and contacts with the side walls 8 to still further insure the snug fit of the frame 22 upon the container.

It will be noted, by inspection of Fig. 4, that the substantially straight, inclined surface 17 of the creased portlon 13 will serve in the nature of a cam surface to facilitate the application of the frame 22 on the open side of the container. When the beaded portion 30 of the frame 22 comes in contact with the slanting surface 17 it will ride outwardly and over the rib 16, snapping back into place thereunder and thereafter riding along the surface of side wall 8. Itwill thus be seen that the display cover will be {irmlyand securely assembled on the open side of the container since the rib 13 on the side wall extends outwardly to engage the inner surface' of the skirt 23 and the beaded edge 3() extends inwardly to engage against the outer surface of the side wall.

The container is preferably of such a length that the frame 22 of the dlsplay cover will just slip thereover.

'It will be noted further that the score lines 13, 13 adjacent the open side of the container serve several very important functions. In the irst place the score lines provide the usual function of making the flaps 9, 9 easily bendable into position over the contents of the container. In the next place the score lines provide upwardly extending ribs which lie substantially flush with the outer surface of the closure so that there is no bulge or depression along the edges of the container when the closure is in place and the joint formed by the adhesive tape appliedv along the corners of the container will be smooth. In the third place the score lines 13 provide outstanding ribs which cooperate in a special manner with a dispensing and display cover so as to both facilitate the application of the cover to the open container as well as to retain the frame in snug association therewith.

While the ends of the container have been described as being recessed, it is obvious that this is not necessary in all cases as much the same result might be obtained if the heads were attached in such manner as to lie flush with the edges of the sides 8, 8 of the bottom 7. In case the ends are arranged to lie flush with the edges of the side walls the closure 18 will be secured thereto by means such as glue or gummed tape or both.

It will be seen further that, in the present instance, the member 18 and the cooperating flaps 9, 9 form the complete Iclosure of the container.

It is not necessary in all cases that the closure 18 be used since by extending the iaps 9, 9 to the middle of the container, or somewhat beyond the middle so that they will overlap, an effective container will be provided. In such case before the display cover is applied to the container` the flaps should be cut 0H" adjacent the score lines 13 so as toA approximate the Width or even so as to be less than the width illustrated, it being only necessary that the score lines 13 remain intact for the purpose of insuring a snug fit for the frame of the display cover as above described.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a modified form of container which may also be used very advantageously with a dispensing and display cover. In this form of the invention the ends 'of the container are preferably flush with the ends of the side walls and the closure is provided with iiaps or extensions which are adapted to engage in suitable pockets formed on the side walls.

Fig. 6 illustrates the blank from which the body of the container is formed. rIhe blank, indicated as a whole at 35, is scored and slot-ted to provide a bottom portion 36, side wall portions 37, 37 and Haps 37, 37 formed at the outer edges of the side wall portions. The bottom and side wall portions have respective end extensions 36a, 37a and 37a. 38 indicates the transverse score lines and 39 indicates the longitudinal score lines. Slots 40 are formed in the blank to separate the end extensions.

The end extensions 37a, 37a being of the same width as the side wall portions 37 and of a length equal to approximately one half the width of the bottom portion 36 provide an end closure for the container, see Fig. 8. In the present instance the end extensions 37a, 37a are shown of such a length as to somewhat overlap each other when the container has been set up. The extensions 36a are shorter than the depth of the container so that when folded against and attached to the extensions 37a by rivets 41, the upper edges of said extensions 36a will be located below the top of the container. The rivets 41, 41 are placed near the side and to edges of the extensions 36a to provide poc iets or spaces 42 opening at the top of the extensions 36a between the rivets 41.

The closure member for this form of container comprises a blank 43 having a top portion 44 andreduced or tapering end flaps 45 separated from the top portion by score lines 46.

The length of the flap extensions 36a is, in general, immaterial, it being only necessary that the extension be secured to the end flaps 37a, 37a so that there will be formed a pocket for the flaps 45 opening anywhere from a point adjacent the upper edges of the fiaps 37a, 37a to a point lower down but high enough so that the ends of the flaps 45 will be engaged within the pocket.

The score lines 39 are preferably impressed in the material of the blank in the same manner as score lines 13 in the first form of the invention and likewise the width of the closure member 44 will preferably be such that the edges of the closure member will extend substantially to the base of the ribs formed on the flaps 37', 37. l

The closure member may be assembled in place on the container .in various specific ways but it is preferably placed thereon with the reduced end flaps 45 projecting into the respective pockets 42 at each end of the container. Theseiaps may ormay not, as desired,

be coated with adhesive before their insertion into the pockets. The side edges of the closure member are preferably secured inplace by means of adhesive tape so as to produce a corner joint similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

After the box is packed and has Abeen sealed as just described it may be opened by slit ing the gummed tape alongl the sides of the box at the groove 21, see- Fig. 5, and the closure member may then be lifted olf to be replaced by the dispensing and display cover. In case the Haps 45 have been secured in place by adhesive these flaps are allowed to remain in place and the top portion 44 of the cover member is removed by severing it from the flaps 45 along the lines adjacent the score lines 46 at the ends of the top portion. After the closure member has been removed the dispensing and display cover 22 may be.

slipped over the top thereof to lit in place in practically the same manner as previously described.

This modified form of box has certain advantages over the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3 in that the end panels are flush with the ends of the side walls thus providing additional space for the contents. Also thls form of box facilitates packing operations for certain packers for the reason that the closure member may be appliedtemporarily to the container without any'risk of its being accidentally removed when the containers are being stacked one upon the other` or are being removed from a stack.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there is provided a sturdy and eflicient shipping container capable of effectively meetlng the particular needs of the trade. The form of container shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is particularly economical as to the amount of material employed and the form of container shown in Figs. 6 to 8'l is particularly advantageous in that the ends are Hush with the sides of the container but at the same time are securely reinforced to provide maximum strength at the ends so that stacking is facilitated. Each type of container may be easily and v'quickly assembled by conventional stapling or riveting machinery to provide a container adapted to meet all of the requirements of ordinary shipping. Each form of container, furthermore, is capable of being readily opened by simply removing the closure member after which, without any further alteration, the container is adapted to receive a dispensing and display cover of more or less usual form.

In the appended claims, where sides and ends of the Container are referred to, it is to be understood that these terms are interchangeable so that the word side may apply to the short side and the word cnil may apply to the long side.

While the resent description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made in the construction withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the. foregoing description. to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A shipping container of iibre or paper board comprising bottom, side and end walls and presenting an open top, a flat, rectangular closure member adapted to lclose said open top, short flaps on said side and end walls adapted to facilitate the assembly of said closure member over the open top of the container, said liaps on said side walls being separa-ted therefrom by means of score lines presenting an outwardly extending rib on l each side of the lines along which the planes of the ilaps and side walls meet, the outwardly extending ribs'on said fiaps serving as guiding abutments for the ed es of said closure member and the outwar ly extendings ribs on said side walls serving as friction means for maintaining in place on said container the frame of a dispensing and display cover. e

2. A shipping container of fibre or paper board com rising bottom, side and end walls,

a closure or said container includin flaps on said sidewalls extending towar each other and at substantially rlght angles to said side walls, a score line separating each flap from its side wall, said score lines presenting an outwardly extending rib on said side walls adjacent the line along which the planesofthe flaps and side walls meet, a dispensing and display cover adapted to overlie the closure side of said container and having a depending frame portion adapted to overlie a portion of said side walls, a bead on the free edge of said frame portion, said frame portion being of such size that when it is forced down over the top of said container a relative displacement between said beaded edge and said outwardly extending rib will be produced whereby said beadedv edge and said rib will serve as a retaining `means for maintaining said cover in place' on said container and vsaid beaded edge will frictionally engage tne side walls of the container.

3. A shipping container of libre or paper board comprising bottom, side and end walls,

flap extensions at the top edges of said side walls and disposed at substantially right angles thereto, a fiat, rectangular closure member adapted to cooperate with said flap extensions to closel the top of said container said flap extensions being separated from the adjoining side wails by means of score lines impressed in the material from the inner side thereof whereby there are provided outwardly extending ribs on each side of the lines along which the planes of theflap extensions and side walls meet and a substantially straight portion lying between said ribs and at an angle to said-Hap extensions and side walls, the outwardly extending ribs on said flap extensions providing guiding* abutments for facilitating the positioning of said flat, rectangular closure member and the outwardly extending ribs on said side l walls serving as friction means for malntainin in place the frame of a dispensing and isplay 'cover and the substantially straight portion of said score line providing a cam means for facilitating the positioning of said frame on thecontainer.

4. A shipping container of fibre or paper board comprising bottom, side and end walls presenting an open top, flap extensions at the top edges of said sid'e walls and disposed at substantially right angles thereto, an independent' closure memberadapted to cooperate with said flap extensions to close the top of said container, said iap extensions being separa-ted fromv the adjoining side walls by means of score lines impressed in the material lfrom the inner side thereof wherebyr there is provided an outstanding rib on each ap extension adjacent the corner formed between said iiap extension and its adjoining side wall, said outstanding ribs serving as guiding abut-ments for positioning said closure member 0n the top of said container prior to its being secured in place thereon, said outstanding ribs projecting outwardly to a distance substantially equal to the thickness of said closure member whereby a substantially smooth joint will be formed between the edges of said closure and the ad'- jacent corners of said container.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 18th day of October, 1929.

HARRISON B. WALTER. 

